Best Supporting Actress 2015

5. Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
McAdams took the easiest possible approach to her performance - she just played what was written in the script, she was not even trying to make something more out of this dully written character. There is only one scene that stands out for me and even in that one she didn't have a lot to do.

4. Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Vikander is wonderful alongside her partner Redmayne in a less challenging role, but she pulls it off rather well. She is not overshadowed by him and the emotional impact of her performance is not small. It'd still prefer her performance in Ex Machina to be nominated (or even won her gold).

3. Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs
Winslet is great as always in a role of the only woman in Jobs' life that he listens to. She's got a great on-screen charisma and the chemistry with her colleagues is wonderful. She flawlessly understood the tone of the film and is very supportive to the plot. Some accent flaws are therefore very forgivable...

2. Rooney Mara - Carol
She is wonderful in a leading role of Therese, who falls in love with an older woman. Her portrayal is very subtle, but it's flawless. Her and Blanchett have got an excellent chemistry and Mara's Theres is simply adorable. Her shy Therese is the character to fall for. I'd especially like to point out one particular scene in a train that is the proof of a pure acting perfection.

1. Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
It is impossible to choose between the two ladies, but I decided to go with Leigh, as she really is supporting. Her Daisy is the most memorable supporting performance of 2015 and of the best from Tarantino films. Leigh is enjoying her role and so are we enjoying watching her. I simply loved this performance...

My Nominees:
1. Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
2. Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina
3. Helen Mirren - Trumbo
4. Rose Byrne - Spy
5. Marion Cotillard - Macbeth

Best Supporting Actress 2015: Rachel McAdams - Spotlight

Some performances get rewarded and I will never understand why. You all know I'm not a fan of too natural performance (e.g. Paul Newman in Nobody's Fool or Marion Cotillard in Two Days One Night), but I can give some credit to them (both of the performances received four points from me), so that I'd stay objective. But there is something that I can't reward. It's the roles that give an actor nothing to play and when an actor is lazy to do something about it. Unfortunately, that is the case of this Oscar-nominated performance.
Rachel McAdams plays her character exactly, as it written. This might have been a compliment, if the character hasn't been written blandly. There is really nothing to this role. It's a woman. That's all I can say about it. The role of Sacha Pfeiffer has only got some lines that reveal simply nothing about the character. (It's not the only such character in the film. In fact, all of them are so.) But the biggest blame against McAdams is that she doesn't add anything to her character. She reads her lines (and she reads them just fine, to make that clear), but we don't find out anything about her character's character.
She has got some better moments, for example in the scene Sacha comes to the priest. She shows just the right amount of energy and eagerness as a young reporter, who wants to squeeze everything out of the story she's working on. But that's probably it. On the private matter, we don't find anything out about her.
I'm thinking, why she even got recognized is that she's the only woman in an ensemble full of men. It's not a bad performance. It's just a weak one.
The chances of winning an Oscar: Let's just hope the best picture heat is not going to push her to the win. I guess, it won't. She's the last one in the game. 

Next Year: Best Supporting Actress 2015

The Nominees:
Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs
Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
Rooney Mara - Carol (predicted winner)

What do you think about the nominees? Who are your nominees? Who are you rooting for? What are your predictions for my ranking? Tell us in comments!